Circular loom



atentecl Dec. 22, 1936 CIRCULAR LOOM Joanny Jabouley, Spondon, near Derby, England,

assignmto Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware I Application July 6, 1935, Serial No. 30,059

i k In Great Britain July 23, 1934 6 Claims.

This invention relates to circular looms, and in particular to the positioning of the shuttles in such looms, the driving of the shuttles relatively to the warps, and the stopping of the loom in the event of thread failure or breakage. The invention relates particularly to circular looms of the type in which the shuttles are positioned within the sheds formed by the warps disposed cylindrically or substantially cylindrically, the positioning of the shuttles being effected by means of rotating vane wheels penetrating one sheet of warps at each shuttle and entering recesses in the shuttle, slots between the vanes permitting the threads of the penetrated sheet of warps to pass the vane wheels as the vane wheels rotate.

In order to carry the vane wheels and the driving means for rotating them about their axes, and other associated mechanism, a ring is provided outside and close to'the warp. threads, and in the case (with which the present invention is concerned) wherein the warps arenon-rotating, the ring is caused to rotateabout the central axis of the loom in order to drive the shuttles round the loom. In theevent of thread failure or breakage it becomes necessary to prevent the continued rotation of this driven ring--a problem that becomes increasingly more difficult as the'speed of operation of the loom increases, for in order to avoid warp damage, the relative motion between warps and shuttles must cease within the same linear space with high speeds of operation as with low speeds, and therefore the time in which stoppage of weaving must be accomplished is proportionately less as the speed of operation increases.

.The rapid stopping of weaving is eifected according to the invention by interposing in the drive to the shuttle supporting ring a de-clutching means that is practically instantaneous in action, thismechanism being operated immediately upon detection of thread failure or breakage to disconnect the ring from the driving means of the loom, so leaving the ring as practically the sole moving part to be brought to rest. A powerful' brake actuated simultaneously with the release of the de-clutching mechanism stops the ring after only a very small angular movement of the ring. Thus, the supporting ring may be formed or provided with an annular gear driven by a pinion on a; shaft in which the de-clutching mechanism is incorporated. Therefore, when the mechanism has been declutched, the brake has merely to bring to rest the supporting ring and the part of the driving shaft extending 'between the de-clutching mechanism and the pinion, together, of course, with the vane-wheel shafts and their driving gear carried by the ring and the shuttles supported by the vane wheels. All these members, though rigid in structure, can be made of light material so that the parts to be brought to rest have a mass as low as possible.

A highly useful form of de-clutching mechanism which may be used according to the invention comprises a differential gear of the type described in Patent No. 1,996,815. When such gear is used one driven side of the gear is connected to the shuttle-supporting ring and the other side is connected to a brake drum normally held locked against rotation. Upon release of the brake the drum is immediately freed and the driving force applied to the differential gear spends itself in rotating the-drum, leaving the other sideof the difierential gear which is connected to the ring, free to be brought to rest.

By way of example a loom provided with the mechanism according to the invention will now be described in greater detail with'reference to the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a. circular loom provided with driving mechanism according to the invention, and

Figs. 2' and 3 show details of the driving mech anism.

In Fig. 1 the loom surrounds a central axis l round which the warps 2 are disposed in the form of a cylinder. The warp threads 2 pass downwards past lease rods 3, shedding wheels 4 and a shedding reed 5. The shedding wheels 4 and reed 5 divide the warp threads into two sheets between which is disposed a shuttle 6. Below the shuttle B the fabric 1 is formed and passes downwardly outside a fabric ring 8 to a fabric takeup mechanism (not shown). The shuttles 6 are caused to rotate by engagement with vane wheels 9 passing through the warp threads and engaging with flanged rollers on the shuttles as described in U. S. application S. No. 706,322 filed 12th January 1934. The vane wheels 9 are mounted upon a shuttle supporting ring l surrounding the warps which is rotated by means of a gear II on a shaft l2, the gear ll engaging with an annular gear I3 on the platform II The vane wheels 9 are caused to rotate so as to pass through the warp threads by means of gears i4, I5,'the gear l being mounted. on a shaft l6 which carries a further gear I! engaging with a stationary annular gear 18 carried on brackets 19 on the main columns 20 of the loom. As the ring rotates about the loom, carrying with it the shaft I6, the engagement of the gear I'I with the gear l8 causes the shaft |6 to rotate and so drives the vane wheels 9.

The shaft I2, the rotation of which drives the ring I0, is driven from an electric motor 2| by means of a. differential gear 22 which is controlled by mechanism carried on a bracket-23 from the main column 20 of the loom. The differential gear 22 is of the type described in detail in U. S. Patent No. 1,996,815 and is shown more clearly in, Figs. 2 and 3. The differential gear comprises a housing 24 which is integral with a pulley 25 round which passes a driving belt 26 from.the. 7 motor 2|.

The housing surrounds a gear-21 which is keyed to the shaft l2 and a gear 28 formed on a sleeve 29 surrounding but not secured to the shaft I2. The sleeve 29 is provided with a drum 30 round which passes a brake band 3| by means of which the drum 30, the sleeve 29 and the gear 28 can be held stationary when desired.

Mounted on axes 32,33 in the housing 24 are gears 34, one of each kind of gear being shown in Fig. 3. The gear 34 meshes with the gear 28 on the sleeve '29 but not with the gear 21 on the shaft |2. The gear 35 meshes with the gear 21 but not with the gear 28. In addition the gears 34 and 35 are arranged in intermeshing pairs, each gear 34 intermeshing with a gear 35. This constitutes a. differential mechanism such that when the brake 3| isholding the drum 30 'stationary, the rotation of the pulley 25 and housing 24 causes the shaft I2 to rotate in the same direction as the pulley 25. When the brake 3|,

however, is off the drum "30 the drum 30 and sleeve 29 will rotate freely in the same direction as the pulley 25 and no load can be transmitted through the shaft I 2. Any other form of differential gear, e. g. a' differential of the bevel gear type such as is in common use in the rear axles of motor vehicles, may be employed in place of the gear 22 described above. a

The differential driving mechanism is" operated in conjunction with the stop mechanism of the loom, e. g. of the type described in U. S. Patentg Nos. 2,019,608 and 2,027,459 whereby on fai1- ure of the weft or breakage of a warp thread the loom is brought to rest. Thus, as'shown in Fig. 3, the brake band 3| is held in engagement with the drum 30 by means of a lever 36 having a soft iron armature 31 which is acted upon by means of an electro-magnet 38. A spring 39 acts to release the brake band 3| from the drum 30 when the electro-magnet 38 is de-energized. The lever 36, electro-rnagnet 38 and spring 39 are carried on a platform 40 on the bracket 23, the platform 40 also carrying arms 4| which support the brake band 3| about the drum 30. The provision of the difierential mechanism 2| facilitatesthe gradual starting of the loom, since the brake band 3| may be gradually applied to the drum 30 by means of the lever 36, the lever being ultimately held in the on position by the electro-magnet 38 when the loom'has reached full a speed.

The electro-magnet 38 is included in an electrical loom stop circuit. This circuit is a closed circult of the kind described in U. S. Patent No.

2,027,459 and comprises a number of electrical, contacts diagrammatically shown at 42, which are'carried by the ring IIl, one in connection with each of the shuttles 6. The contacts 42 are normally closed and are connected together in series with each other, with the electro-magnet 38, a further electro-magnet 43 and a source of supply of electric current 44. The loom 'isprovided with a brake 45 which fits around the ring spring 5| which pulls the lever 49 out of engagement with the lever v4| when the electro-magnet 43 is de-energized.

As is described in U. S. Patent No. 2,027,459 each of the shuttles 6 is adapted to open the corresponding contact 42 on breakage of the warp or failure of the weft. When this happens, the circuit containing the two electro-magnets 38 and 43 is broken, and both the electro-magnets are de-energized. As a. result of the de-energiz'ing of the electro-magnet 43 the armature 50,.lever-49 and lever 47 are released and the spring 46 applies the brake band 45 to the ring I0, so bringing the ring, together with the associated parts thereon and the shuttles 6, to rest. At the same time by the de-energizing of the electro-magnet 38 the lever 36 is released and the brake band 3| is removed from the drum 30. .The drum '30 is then free to rotate and the drive between'the shaft I2 and the electro-magnet 2| is broken. As a consequence of the declutching action of the differential gear 22, the inertia of the motor 2|,

and'of any other parts of the loom drive from the motor 2| independently of the ring I0, is detached from the ring I0, which can therefore be brought very rapidly to rest by the action of the brake band 45. Means such as a switch actu ated by any of the levers 36, 43, 41 may be in} cluded in the motor circuit so as to switch off the motor 2| at the same time as the ring I0 is stopped. Since, however, the driving torque of the motor is no longer actingupon the ring Ill, v

this point is of small importance. V 7 By the provision of especially light shuttles 6, e. g. of the kind described in U. S. application S. No. 706,322, and of the light and compact vane wheel driving mechanism I4, I5, I6, I1, described above, the inertia of the parts to be brought to rest by the brake band 45 is reduced to a minimum. j

The shedding wheels 4 deflect the warp threads so as to form a shed into which the nose of the shuttle 6 can enter, some of the warp threads being constrained against deflection in the neigh-' bourhood of the shuttles by the reed 5. The wheels 4 are driven round the axis of the loom at the same rate as the shuttles 6. While, for this reason, it is generally convenient that they should be driven by the ring I0, they and their mounting are so simple and light in weight that they do not add substantially to the inertia of the ring II), shuttles 6 and associated parts.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:- v

1. A circular loom for weaving with non-rotating warps comprising weft shuttles completelysurrounded bysaid warps and associated parts carried upon a ring surrounding the warps and adapted to rotate, a stop mechanism adapted to stop weaving on thread failure or breakage, means for driving said ring, shuttles and other associated parts round the loom axis, a differential gear having one driving and two driven parts, one of said driven parts being adapted to drive the shuttles and associated parts, a brake adapted to hold the other driven part stationary while the loom is in operation, and means included in said stop mechanism to release said brake on thread failure or breakage so as to de-clutch said shuttles and associated parts instantaneously upon operation of said stop mechanism and to reduce the resistance to stopping of the parts to Y be brought to rest by said stop mechanism.

2. A circular loom for weaving with non-rotating warps comprising weft shuttles completely enclosed by said warps and associated parts carried upon a ring surrounding the warps and adapted to rotate, a stop mechanism adapted to stop weaving on thread failure or breakage, a driving shaft for said ring, shuttles and other associated parts round the loom axis, a difierential gear having two central gears and two sets of planetary gears, said sets intermeshing with each other and each set meshing with one of said central gears and not with the other, a housing for carrying said planetary gears, means for driving the housing, one of said central gears being mounted on said driving shaft, means for holding the other central gear stationary, and means in association with said stop mechanism for releasing said holding mechanism on thread failure or breakage so as to reduce the resistance to stopping of the parts to be brought to rest by said stop mechanism.

3. A circular loom for weaving with non-rotating warps comprising weft shuttles completely enclosed by said warps and associated parts carried upon a ring surrounding the warps and adapted to rotate, a stop mechanism adapted to stop weaving on thread failure or breakage, means for driving said ring,- shuttles and other associated parts round the loom axis, a difierential gear having one driving and two driven parts, one of said driven parts being adapted to drive the shuttles and associated parts, electromagnetically operated braking means adapted to hold the other driven part stationary while. the loom is in operation, and means included in said stop mechanism to release said brake on thread failure or breakage so as to de-clutch said shuttles and associated Darts instantaneously upon operation of said stop mechanism, and to reduce the resistance to stopping of the parts to be brought to rest by said stop mechanism.

4. A circular loom for weaving with non-rotat-.

ing warps comprising weft shuttles completely enclosed by said warps and associated parts carried upon a ring surrounding the warps and adapted to rotate, a closed electrical stop circuit adaptedto be opened on thread failure or breakage and thereupon to stop weaving, means for driving said ring, shuttles and other associated parts round the loom axis, a diiierential gear having one driving and two driven parts, one of said driven parts being adapted to drive the shuttles and associated parts, a brake adapted to hold the other driven part stationary while the loom is in operation, and an electro-magnet included in said stop circuit adapted to hold said brake in engagement with said other driven part, and to release said brake on opening of said circuit so as to de-clutch said shuttles andassociated parts and to reduce the resistance to stopping of the parts to be brought to rest by said stop mechanism.

5. A circular loom for weaving with non-rotating warps comprising weft shuttles completely enclosed by said warps and associated parts carried upon a ring surrounding the warps and adapted to rotate, a closed electrical stop circuit adapted to be opened on thread failure or breakage, a brake band surrounding said ring, an electro-magnet included in said stop circuit and adapted to hold said brake band out of engagement with said ring, a differential gear having one driving and two driven parts, one of said driven parts being adapted to drive the shuttles and associated parts, a brake-adapted to hold the other driven part stationary while the loom is in operation, and an electro-magnet included in said stop circuit adapted to hold said brake in engagement with said other driven part, and to release said brake on opening of said circuit so as to de-clutch said shuttles and associated parts simultaneously with the application of said brake band to said ring and to reduce the resistance to stopping of the parts to be brought to rest by said stop mechanism.

6. A circular loom for weaving with non-rotating warps, comprising weft shuttles completely surrounded by said warps and associated parts carried upon a ring surrounding the warps and adapted to rotate, a stop mechanism adapted to stop weaving on thread failure or breakage,

means for driving said ring, shuttles and other associated parts round the loom axis, a differential gear having one driving and two driven parts, one of said driven parts being adapted to drive the shuttles and associated parts, a brake band adapted to hold the other driven part stationary while the loom is in operation, a lever for controlling the brake band, and an electro-magnet in association with said lever and under the control of the stop mechanism, said electro-magnet being adapted to operate the lever to release the brake band on actuation of the stop mechanism and thereby to declutch the shuttles and associated parts substantially instantaneously upon operation of the stop mechanism in order to reduce the resistance to stopping of the parts to be brought to rest by the stop mechanism.

JOANNY JABOULEY. 

